Shane Hathaway Chapter three of MI enlightens us as future educators that every student is capable of show casing all eight intelligences. It is our job as teachers to help the students explore each of their intelligences by strengthening the ones that are a little weak as well as helping them grow. As teachers we can also help them use their strongest one. We can easily spot a student’s intelligence by the way they act. Through behavior it allows us to see which intelligence is the strongest. There is no better test than observation when it comes to identifying an intelligence because students practically scream “teach me this way or else”. It is our job as teachers to develop our students to have more than one intelligence.
Synthesis
Shane Hathaway For most of the people in our class they decided to hit upon the importance of observing students being very important. The conclusion was that there are many ways to distinguish what types of learners our students are going to be, and that as teachers it is our duty to tend to the students needs and learning styles. We need to compensate for all learners and if we don’t teach them how they want to be taught then through their behavior they will let us know that we are not meeting their needs. Teachers can use other tools to see what intelligence students will be. They can use records, interviews or asking parents.
The chapter goes over different ways to observe and remember how each student in your classes learns, and I am so grateful. How to tell which student is more attuned to which intelligences, and a lot of it is actually pretty basic. You have to look out for things that I feel like, as just concepts, aren’t things that I would normally think about, but are actually pretty obvious. Of course bodily-kinesthetic students might be more fidgety, and obviously visual/spatial students are more likely to doodle in their notes. They’re observations that I don’t normally think to look out for, but I think I can definitely see myself starting to practice these observations just on my friends and family even before I actually get in the classroom for any extended amount of time. I also really love the idea of jotting down notes about each student. It might get overwhelming because middle and high school teachers see a ton of different students each day, but one or two things every week or so per student it a very reachable goal. Plus I know that I remember things much better if I write things down and keep a record of them.
(Also, as an aside, every time a checklist comes up for the various intelligences, it makes me want to see where I fall, just to see if I keep matching up with the same things. I know he says that there isn’t really a way to test intelligences and that you only get an idea of where someone might fall, but it’s still really interesting.)
Sarah
I learned that the single best tool for figuring out a student’s multiple intelligences is observation. The book said that sometime the best way is to see how they misbehave because misbehaviors are usually a cry for help, saying “I need to be taught this way”. Another way to observe students is to see what they do during their free time in school. The big take away I got from the chapter was that a teacher can set up activities for each intelligences and see what students chose to do. Also that parents are helpful in telling you what multiple intelligences are prominent in their children. You can get input from parents by introducing the idea of MI at back to school night and then by asking them about their observations during parent teacher conferences. What I learned in the chapter will impact my classroom more than it will impact me personally. During back to school night I can introduce the idea of multiple intelligences and then if I have “problem students” I can call a parent teacher conference and ask for the parents input as to why their child is acting in a certain way. I can also pose a solution that will incorporate the student’s multiple intelligences and see what the parent(s) think of the solution. As a first day or first week activity I can set up different stations around the room and have students look at the activities and then have them go to their first choice activity. To see more than one intelligence, I can have students go to their second choice activity after they complete their first choice activity. I can write down the first and second choices of my students this way I know their learning styles for the rest of the year.
Lydia
In this chapter it talks about how teachers should think of ways to get to know the multiple intelligences of their students. The best thing that the book gives for teachers to monitor their students’ mind sets is to observe their activities and find things in class that they are struggling at and think about why that could be. Some of the observations that would benefit me as a teacher would be to collect documents of some of my students and showcase their abilities in learning and their different strengths in intelligence. Another thing I could do would be go to their records and collect information of which classes that the students had strengths and weaknesses in. This would all affect my classroom because it would help me gain an understanding of how my students can learn and retain information that I teach. It is also important that I collaborate with the parents of the students because it will give me more insight on how students will learn in my class and do work outside of my class. Something else that I learned would benefit me and my students is ask the students themselves how they believe that they will understand the information better. My class will be affected by all of this because they will benefit from the way that I teach and will want to learn more because they are able to learn in a way that best suits them. In assigning people work that highlights their strengths they will be more likely to want to show off their work and maybe down the road try something that will be more difficult for them.
Cory
This chapter mainly focused on how to figure out what kind of learner a student is through the multiple intelligence model. To figure this out, you can’t exactly use a test because they aren’t always accurate. To figure this out, you need to observe your students. This is something that I have never really thought of, but it is quite effective when you truly know the different kinds of intelligences, especially the characteristics that go along with them. One specific way observing your students that I have never thought of is looking at the ways they slack off. For example, if a student spaces out or doodles, they tend to be spatial learners. If they socialize, they’re interpersonal. If they fidget, they’re bodily-kinethetic. Once you fully realize the characteristics that go along with each kind of learning style/intelligence, then you can just watch your students and figure out how they learn. Before I started this book, I would have never have guessed this. It all makes sense now, but it was something I had never thought of before. I like the idea it suggested when it said that you should take notes on your students. I originally thought that I could make mental notes, but then realizing that I may be dealing with upwards of 150+ kids, I may have to take physical notes. This will help me with my lesson planning, because as I learn about how many of my students learn, I can make activities tailored toward learning styles I see the most in each class. But I still have to remember to include the lesser learning styles so I don’t lose those students as well.
Dominick
Chapter three of Multiple Intelligences goes over many different aspects of different learners. As a teacher one must identify the different types of learners out there. It is our duty as teachers to find these different types of learners and teach them in an appropriate fashion. One way of doing this is observing the students and perhaps making notes. This works especially with younger children who are in grammar school. Tests are not a good route to take when trying to discover different types of learners. There are not tests that distinctly separates students into different types of learners. Teachers have to be willing to experiment when trying to find the different types of learners. It is our responsibility as teachers to identify these different types of students through classroom activities. Another way to find out about the different types of learners would be to look outside of the classroom. Watch what the student does outside of the classroom, you could pick up certain patterns. You could also ask other teachers how the student acts in their classroom. Perhaps they have seen some of these patterns in behavior that you are looking for. Looking back at the students school file might be a good to check out as well. Getting to know the student yourself is also not a bad approach to take when trying to figure what kind of learner the student is. Students learn in very particular ways, it is their way or the highway. We must look for these different ways and teach them to the best our ability.
Sara
In Chapter three of Multiple Intelligences, we find out ways that would best help us determine the intelligences of students. Observing, rather than testing, is a much better way to determine a student’s strengths and weaknesses in the classroom. While a test could provide some insight into what intelligences are dominant in a student, it can also result in some false results. Students can easily mark down what they think, or what they want, the test to yield. By observing the students it provides a much better idea as to what students are really interested in. This is especially true further into a school year, once students become comfortable within the classroom. They then truly become themselves and a teacher can truly see what works best for students. Asking previous teachers, especially if a teacher is new to a school and does not know the students yet, can be extremely helpful. A teacher can get insight into what students like and what their background is, they may have knowledge of students learning styles and can give helpful advice. Above all they can sure what kind of supports a student may need, like needing hands on active activities, or if a student has trouble with talking out of turn and may need to be able to express themselves verbally and frequently. Engaging students can also be very helpful for a teacher. This way students can talk about passions that they have and even what works for them. In the math classroom students can express what they like and dislike in the classroom. Some students may not like long instructional lectures and need more creative activates. Students will be able to communicate this with the teacher and ultimately help the teacher so they can help the student.
Katelin
I love love loved everything this chapter talked about. When I thought of the MI checklist, I thought it’d be impossible to be able to figure out what each student is, but this chapter gave clear examples of figuring out what each student liked. I loved the idea of keeping a checklist of what a student does, or keeping a journal. Something that really stood out to me when I have my own class is to watch for the misbehaviors because this is usually the student telling you what they would rather be doing it. Another thing I noticed that I know that actually happens is teachers collaborating about other students because it is hard to know if the student is acting the same way in every class or if it is something that maybe you are not doing for them, or you can do for them. Something I want to learn is how to figure out what type of person they are at home. What is the real student as just the person they are, not the student? A goal I will have at the beginning is to really try to get the students to become themselves and have them open up as much as I can with each other and with me. I want to know what their weird collection consists of or what spot they are obsessed with watching every Sunday night. Basically, how can I adapt what I do to them as much as possible. Also, I know that from grades 7-12 are really hard to “fit in” so if I notice that two people would be good partners I could figure this out by what type of person they are.
Laura
I think that this chapter provides very useful tips and suggestions for determining the most developed intelligences of your individual students. I did notice, however, that some of the tips were more conducive to a secondary ed. classroom than others, and I will remember to focus more on those once I have my own students to observe. (I also think that our field experience for this class will be great practice for trying to guess student intelligences based on sole observation). I found it humorous but insightful when Armstrong says that “the one good way to identify students’ most highly developed intelligences is to observe how they misbehave in class” (34). I had never really considered how much there is to learn from what we might otherwise view as poor or unacceptable behavior, but now I am curious to see what kinds of crazy things my future students will do! I also really like the idea of using “choice time” as an opportunity to observe students’ intelligences, but the “choice time” Armstrong refers to is more prominent in elementary schools (I think). So, I began to think of ways that middle or high school students could show their intelligences through choice. In the English classroom, this could mean through the types of books they chose to read or how they chose to format a book report or paper. In terms of other suggestions that Armstrong provides for determining students’ intelligences, I think that looking at school records, talking with other teachers, and asking the students themselves are the best suited for secondary level.
Shane
The whole point of this chapter is about how we can observe the multiple intelligences that students have in the classroom. The chapter impacts me as a teacher because it has so many different strategies on what teachers have done and what works. I have a few disagreements about somethings because I think some of school policies and what is politically correct, or morally acceptable has changed since 2009. I personally believe that logging my observations of students, or keeping mental notes will be way more effective than taking pictures of kids acting out, or in their intelligences. I think some parents may have an issue if I take a picture of their kid fidgeting or talking out of turn opposed to writing it down and keeping it to my self. The reading said that there is no better tool than the tool of observing. This means you cannot just test a kid and say oh I know this kid is interpersonal, you actually have to experience it. I need to keep in mind as a teacher that most kids have more than one intelligence that they have strengths in. As a teacher we have to accommodate for the students needs because they are going to basically say through body language and other actions that “this is how I learn, teach me this way or I’m going to do it my way”. The other ways that I would utilize as a professional would look at school records. You can find all sorts of stuff from records like the big factors like home life and other things in school files that kids may not tell you. The other way I would like to document my learners is the checklist they included in the chapter.
Rhi
Observation has always been something I’ve been good at growing up. I’m good at taking a step back in situations and looking at big pictures to see what needs to be improved or what is being done well. I believe that observation is a big part of being a teacher and being able to see how students work individually and with others. It’s important to know how your students operate in all areas of the multiple intelligences. There are parts of each intelligence in every student, some are just more prevalent than others. A good way to learn about a student is to find out what they do during free times or outside of the classroom. You can find out a lot about a student just by knowing what they like to do for fun. Most athletes are bodily-kinesthetic, readers are mostly linguistic, etc. It’s easier as a middle school or high school teacher to find past documents about a student and learn from other teachers how the student learns or what they do and don’t like to do. Being a teacher is sort of a big group of people who all have similar goals about giving students the knowledge they need to go on and become who they really want to be or do what they really want to do. I’m excited to become a part of that group and be able to make my classes and refine my philosophy based on what I learn from students and other teachers that I come in contact with.
Cooper
In this chapter one of my main takeaways was what misbehavior might tell an educator about their students. In the chapter Armstrong talks about how a student is sending their teacher a message with the way they misbehave and what it’s essentially saying is that they are going to learn in certain way and that you should accommodate that because if you don’t they are going to try to do it anyway. A student who is moving around in class might be a kinesthetic learner while someone who is talking out of turn might be an interpersonal learner. While I don’t necessarily believe that this rationale is an excuse for misbehavior in the classroom, it can serve to be an important tool for educators to A: figure out what may be a barrier for a student or students in your classroom and B: address those barriers in a way that hopefully engages more students. I feel it is only logical that students when faced with a lesson that is uninspiring to them would revert to their area of strength or interest. As someone who's number one score on the MI test was musical intelligence I often find myself tapping on a desk or tapping my feet simulating some kind of drumbeat nearly instantly when my attention is lost. I don’t necessarily believe this method to be ironclad I think it can definitely be used as a tool for educators to learn something about their students. Much like Piaget’s interest in wrong answers for the rationale behind them, “wrong behavior” is also a gives us great insight into what we as educators can do to assist a student.
Abstract
Shane HathawayChapter three of MI enlightens us as future educators that every student is capable of show casing all eight intelligences. It is our job as teachers to help the students explore each of their intelligences by strengthening the ones that are a little weak as well as helping them grow. As teachers we can also help them use their strongest one. We can easily spot a student’s intelligence by the way they act. Through behavior it allows us to see which intelligence is the strongest. There is no better test than observation when it comes to identifying an intelligence because students practically scream “teach me this way or else”. It is our job as teachers to develop our students to have more than one intelligence.
Synthesis
Shane HathawayFor most of the people in our class they decided to hit upon the importance of observing students being very important. The conclusion was that there are many ways to distinguish what types of learners our students are going to be, and that as teachers it is our duty to tend to the students needs and learning styles. We need to compensate for all learners and if we don’t teach them how they want to be taught then through their behavior they will let us know that we are not meeting their needs. Teachers can use other tools to see what intelligence students will be. They can use records, interviews or asking parents.
Table of Contents
Cheyenne
The chapter goes over different ways to observe and remember how each student in your classes learns, and I am so grateful. How to tell which student is more attuned to which intelligences, and a lot of it is actually pretty basic. You have to look out for things that I feel like, as just concepts, aren’t things that I would normally think about, but are actually pretty obvious. Of course bodily-kinesthetic students might be more fidgety, and obviously visual/spatial students are more likely to doodle in their notes. They’re observations that I don’t normally think to look out for, but I think I can definitely see myself starting to practice these observations just on my friends and family even before I actually get in the classroom for any extended amount of time.I also really love the idea of jotting down notes about each student. It might get overwhelming because middle and high school teachers see a ton of different students each day, but one or two things every week or so per student it a very reachable goal. Plus I know that I remember things much better if I write things down and keep a record of them.
(Also, as an aside, every time a checklist comes up for the various intelligences, it makes me want to see where I fall, just to see if I keep matching up with the same things. I know he says that there isn’t really a way to test intelligences and that you only get an idea of where someone might fall, but it’s still really interesting.)
Sarah
I learned that the single best tool for figuring out a student’s multiple intelligences is observation. The book said that sometime the best way is to see how they misbehave because misbehaviors are usually a cry for help, saying “I need to be taught this way”. Another way to observe students is to see what they do during their free time in school. The big take away I got from the chapter was that a teacher can set up activities for each intelligences and see what students chose to do. Also that parents are helpful in telling you what multiple intelligences are prominent in their children. You can get input from parents by introducing the idea of MI at back to school night and then by asking them about their observations during parent teacher conferences. What I learned in the chapter will impact my classroom more than it will impact me personally. During back to school night I can introduce the idea of multiple intelligences and then if I have “problem students” I can call a parent teacher conference and ask for the parents input as to why their child is acting in a certain way. I can also pose a solution that will incorporate the student’s multiple intelligences and see what the parent(s) think of the solution. As a first day or first week activity I can set up different stations around the room and have students look at the activities and then have them go to their first choice activity. To see more than one intelligence, I can have students go to their second choice activity after they complete their first choice activity. I can write down the first and second choices of my students this way I know their learning styles for the rest of the year.Lydia
In this chapter it talks about how teachers should think of ways to get to know the multiple intelligences of their students. The best thing that the book gives for teachers to monitor their students’ mind sets is to observe their activities and find things in class that they are struggling at and think about why that could be. Some of the observations that would benefit me as a teacher would be to collect documents of some of my students and showcase their abilities in learning and their different strengths in intelligence. Another thing I could do would be go to their records and collect information of which classes that the students had strengths and weaknesses in.This would all affect my classroom because it would help me gain an understanding of how my students can learn and retain information that I teach. It is also important that I collaborate with the parents of the students because it will give me more insight on how students will learn in my class and do work outside of my class. Something else that I learned would benefit me and my students is ask the students themselves how they believe that they will understand the information better. My class will be affected by all of this because they will benefit from the way that I teach and will want to learn more because they are able to learn in a way that best suits them. In assigning people work that highlights their strengths they will be more likely to want to show off their work and maybe down the road try something that will be more difficult for them.
Cory
This chapter mainly focused on how to figure out what kind of learner a student is through the multiple intelligence model. To figure this out, you can’t exactly use a test because they aren’t always accurate. To figure this out, you need to observe your students. This is something that I have never really thought of, but it is quite effective when you truly know the different kinds of intelligences, especially the characteristics that go along with them. One specific way observing your students that I have never thought of is looking at the ways they slack off. For example, if a student spaces out or doodles, they tend to be spatial learners. If they socialize, they’re interpersonal. If they fidget, they’re bodily-kinethetic. Once you fully realize the characteristics that go along with each kind of learning style/intelligence, then you can just watch your students and figure out how they learn. Before I started this book, I would have never have guessed this. It all makes sense now, but it was something I had never thought of before. I like the idea it suggested when it said that you should take notes on your students. I originally thought that I could make mental notes, but then realizing that I may be dealing with upwards of 150+ kids, I may have to take physical notes. This will help me with my lesson planning, because as I learn about how many of my students learn, I can make activities tailored toward learning styles I see the most in each class. But I still have to remember to include the lesser learning styles so I don’t lose those students as well.Dominick
Chapter three of Multiple Intelligences goes over many different aspects of different learners. As a teacher one must identify the different types of learners out there. It is our duty as teachers to find these different types of learners and teach them in an appropriate fashion. One way of doing this is observing the students and perhaps making notes. This works especially with younger children who are in grammar school. Tests are not a good route to take when trying to discover different types of learners. There are not tests that distinctly separates students into different types of learners. Teachers have to be willing to experiment when trying to find the different types of learners. It is our responsibility as teachers to identify these different types of students through classroom activities. Another way to find out about the different types of learners would be to look outside of the classroom. Watch what the student does outside of the classroom, you could pick up certain patterns. You could also ask other teachers how the student acts in their classroom. Perhaps they have seen some of these patterns in behavior that you are looking for. Looking back at the students school file might be a good to check out as well. Getting to know the student yourself is also not a bad approach to take when trying to figure what kind of learner the student is. Students learn in very particular ways, it is their way or the highway. We must look for these different ways and teach them to the best our ability.Sara
In Chapter three of Multiple Intelligences, we find out ways that would best help us determine the intelligences of students. Observing, rather than testing, is a much better way to determine a student’s strengths and weaknesses in the classroom. While a test could provide some insight into what intelligences are dominant in a student, it can also result in some false results. Students can easily mark down what they think, or what they want, the test to yield. By observing the students it provides a much better idea as to what students are really interested in. This is especially true further into a school year, once students become comfortable within the classroom. They then truly become themselves and a teacher can truly see what works best for students.Asking previous teachers, especially if a teacher is new to a school and does not know the students yet, can be extremely helpful. A teacher can get insight into what students like and what their background is, they may have knowledge of students learning styles and can give helpful advice. Above all they can sure what kind of supports a student may need, like needing hands on active activities, or if a student has trouble with talking out of turn and may need to be able to express themselves verbally and frequently.
Engaging students can also be very helpful for a teacher. This way students can talk about passions that they have and even what works for them. In the math classroom students can express what they like and dislike in the classroom. Some students may not like long instructional lectures and need more creative activates. Students will be able to communicate this with the teacher and ultimately help the teacher so they can help the student.
Katelin
I love love loved everything this chapter talked about. When I thought of the MI checklist, I thought it’d be impossible to be able to figure out what each student is, but this chapter gave clear examples of figuring out what each student liked. I loved the idea of keeping a checklist of what a student does, or keeping a journal. Something that really stood out to me when I have my own class is to watch for the misbehaviors because this is usually the student telling you what they would rather be doing it. Another thing I noticed that I know that actually happens is teachers collaborating about other students because it is hard to know if the student is acting the same way in every class or if it is something that maybe you are not doing for them, or you can do for them. Something I want to learn is how to figure out what type of person they are at home. What is the real student as just the person they are, not the student? A goal I will have at the beginning is to really try to get the students to become themselves and have them open up as much as I can with each other and with me. I want to know what their weird collection consists of or what spot they are obsessed with watching every Sunday night. Basically, how can I adapt what I do to them as much as possible. Also, I know that from grades 7-12 are really hard to “fit in” so if I notice that two people would be good partners I could figure this out by what type of person they are.Laura
I think that this chapter provides very useful tips and suggestions for determining the most developed intelligences of your individual students. I did notice, however, that some of the tips were more conducive to a secondary ed. classroom than others, and I will remember to focus more on those once I have my own students to observe. (I also think that our field experience for this class will be great practice for trying to guess student intelligences based on sole observation). I found it humorous but insightful when Armstrong says that “the one good way to identify students’ most highly developed intelligences is to observe how they misbehave in class” (34). I had never really considered how much there is to learn from what we might otherwise view as poor or unacceptable behavior, but now I am curious to see what kinds of crazy things my future students will do! I also really like the idea of using “choice time” as an opportunity to observe students’ intelligences, but the “choice time” Armstrong refers to is more prominent in elementary schools (I think). So, I began to think of ways that middle or high school students could show their intelligences through choice. In the English classroom, this could mean through the types of books they chose to read or how they chose to format a book report or paper. In terms of other suggestions that Armstrong provides for determining students’ intelligences, I think that looking at school records, talking with other teachers, and asking the students themselves are the best suited for secondary level.Shane
The whole point of this chapter is about how we can observe the multiple intelligences that students have in the classroom. The chapter impacts me as a teacher because it has so many different strategies on what teachers have done and what works. I have a few disagreements about somethings because I think some of school policies and what is politically correct, or morally acceptable has changed since 2009. I personally believe that logging my observations of students, or keeping mental notes will be way more effective than taking pictures of kids acting out, or in their intelligences. I think some parents may have an issue if I take a picture of their kid fidgeting or talking out of turn opposed to writing it down and keeping it to my self. The reading said that there is no better tool than the tool of observing. This means you cannot just test a kid and say oh I know this kid is interpersonal, you actually have to experience it. I need to keep in mind as a teacher that most kids have more than one intelligence that they have strengths in. As a teacher we have to accommodate for the students needs because they are going to basically say through body language and other actions that “this is how I learn, teach me this way or I’m going to do it my way”. The other ways that I would utilize as a professional would look at school records. You can find all sorts of stuff from records like the big factors like home life and other things in school files that kids may not tell you. The other way I would like to document my learners is the checklist they included in the chapter.Rhi
Observation has always been something I’ve been good at growing up. I’m good at taking a step back in situations and looking at big pictures to see what needs to be improved or what is being done well. I believe that observation is a big part of being a teacher and being able to see how students work individually and with others. It’s important to know how your students operate in all areas of the multiple intelligences. There are parts of each intelligence in every student, some are just more prevalent than others. A good way to learn about a student is to find out what they do during free times or outside of the classroom. You can find out a lot about a student just by knowing what they like to do for fun. Most athletes are bodily-kinesthetic, readers are mostly linguistic, etc. It’s easier as a middle school or high school teacher to find past documents about a student and learn from other teachers how the student learns or what they do and don’t like to do. Being a teacher is sort of a big group of people who all have similar goals about giving students the knowledge they need to go on and become who they really want to be or do what they really want to do. I’m excited to become a part of that group and be able to make my classes and refine my philosophy based on what I learn from students and other teachers that I come in contact with.Cooper
In this chapter one of my main takeaways was what misbehavior might tell an educator about their students. In the chapter Armstrong talks about how a student is sending their teacher a message with the way they misbehave and what it’s essentially saying is that they are going to learn in certain way and that you should accommodate that because if you don’t they are going to try to do it anyway. A student who is moving around in class might be a kinesthetic learner while someone who is talking out of turn might be an interpersonal learner. While I don’t necessarily believe that this rationale is an excuse for misbehavior in the classroom, it can serve to be an important tool for educators to A: figure out what may be a barrier for a student or students in your classroom and B: address those barriers in a way that hopefully engages more students. I feel it is only logical that students when faced with a lesson that is uninspiring to them would revert to their area of strength or interest. As someone who's number one score on the MI test was musical intelligence I often find myself tapping on a desk or tapping my feet simulating some kind of drumbeat nearly instantly when my attention is lost. I don’t necessarily believe this method to be ironclad I think it can definitely be used as a tool for educators to learn something about their students. Much like Piaget’s interest in wrong answers for the rationale behind them, “wrong behavior” is also a gives us great insight into what we as educators can do to assist a student.